Suction cleaner



INVEN TO R @das www W. F. HUDSON SUCTION CLEANER Filed Dec. 2 3, 1953 May 14, 1935.

Patented May 14, 1935' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SUCTION CLEANER Willis F. Hudson, Riverside, Ill., assignor to The Hoover Company, North Canton, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application December 23, 1933, Serial No. 703,687

Claims. (Cl. 15-8) The present invention relates to suction cleaning between the front and the rear nozzle lips ers in general and particularly to new and novel of the usual machine is bowed into the nozzle, improvements in the construction of the suction and the pile thereof is spread apart or separated cleaner nozzle. More specically the invention to an extent depending upon the curvature of 5 comprises the provision of a suction cleaner in the bowed portion. Also, in the usual suction 5 the nozzle of which is provided a surface-concleaner the cleaning air enters the nozzle be-l tacting movable lip under which cleaning air tween two surface-contacting lips which depasses and which is so positioned as to contact ine the sides of the nozzle and of the bowed that portion of the surface-covering undergoing portion of the covering. The pile of the coverl0 cleaning which is lifted from the supporting ing at the points of contact of these usual noz- 10 surface and in which the pile is spread apart. zle lips is not separated as is the case of the -It is an object of the present invention to pile near the center of the bowed portion. 'Ihe provide a new and improved suction cleaner. cleaning air, inpassing under the nozzle lips It is a further object of the invention to provide fails to gain entrance to the deeply embedded i3 a new and improved suction cleaner nozzle reforeign matter in the operation of the common 15 lationship. It is still another object of the incleaner. vention to provide a suction cleaner in which a In the suction cleaner constructed in accordmovable lip separates a high suction nozzle from ance with the present inventionthe usual cleaner a low suctionnozzle. Still another object is the nozzle has been divided intotwo parts. The provision in a suction cleaner of a high suction portion of the nozzle containing the cleaner agi- 20 nozzle, a low suction nozzle, a movable nozzle tator has been separated from the remainder of lip between said nozzles, a positively driven agithe nozzle, and air is drawn from the latter under tator being positioned within the low suction noza dividing lip which separates the two portions zle. A still further object of the invention is of the nozzle. There are in fact two nozzles. the provision of a suction cleaner in which a The common lip is so positioned that it contacts 25 high suction nozzle is positioned immediately adthe surface-covering where it is bowed and where jacent a low suction nozzle, the two nozzles havthe Ypile is separated. The cleaning air which ing a common surface-contacting lip which is passes under this lip from the low to the high resiliently urged into contact with the surface suction nozzle is directed to the deeply embedded covering undergoing cleaning, and under which foreign matter, the lip beingresiliently mounted cleaning air passes in the operation of the main order not to restrict the lifting of the covering. chine. These and 'other more specific objects Referring now to the drawing a suction cleaner will appear upon reading the following specificais shown in which an ordinary nozzle casting I tion and claims, and upon considering in conis seen to be divided into two nozzles, 2 and 3. nection therewith the attached drawing to which These nozzles have a common surface-contact- 35 they relate. ing lip 4 which is resiliently urged downwardly by Referring now to the drawing to which a premeans of an elongated spring 5 carried by the ferred embodiment of the invention is disclosed: common .wall 6 of the two nozzles. The front lip Figure 1 is a side View of a modern suction of the nozzle casting I, indicated by the reference 4o cleaner embodying the present invention, cercharacter 1, is the front lip of the nozzle 2. 40

tain parts being broken away; Lip 1 is extremely thin and is of the pile-pene- Figure 2 is a partial bottom view of the noztrating type, as is the lip 4. The rear lip 8 zle shown in the cleaner 0f Figure 1; ofthe casting I is the rear 1ip of the nozzle 3 and Figure 3 is a partial section upon the line 3-3 is relatively broad.

0f` Figure 2 ShOWing the movable nozzle lip; A fan chamber 9 is positioned immediately the 45 Figure 4 is a view in perspective of the spring adjacent nozzle casting I and is interiorly conelement which cooperates with the movable noznected thereto thru the eye I0. A rotatable Ian zle lip; I I is mounted within the fan chamber 9 upon the Figure 5 is a view in perspective of the movable extended end of the motor shaft I2 and funcnozzle lip removed from the cleaner. tions, in the operation of the cleaner, to create 50 In the modern suction cleaner the suctiona reduced pressure within the fan chamber which creating means function to lift the surface-coviseffective to draw cleaning air from the nozzle ering undergoing cleaning up into contact with. 2, through the inlet III into the chamber, and exthe lips of the nozzle and into the nozzle mouth haust it into the dust bag I5. The extremity of between those lips. 'I'he portion of the coverthe motor shaft l2 is formed as a pulley I3 and 55 -and exible brush elements. Agitator 2I is positioned within a housing Ia in the casting I, which housing is open to the nozzle 3, but is sealed from nozzle 2. It is clear that the suction of the nozzle 3 is dependent up'on the amount of air drawn therefrom and under the common lip 4 into the nozzle 2.

The suction-creating fan II is driven by an ordinary motor which is positioned Within the motor casing I4 immediately adjacent fan chamber 9. The motor proper is not shown, being of any well known type.

As in the usual suction cleaner front and rear supporting wheels I6 and I 'I are provided which movably support the cleaner upon the surfacecovering. Height-adjusting means I8 are Aprovided for the front wheels I6 by the use of which the height of the nozzle lips above the surface covering can be controlled. A pivoted handle I9 is also provided which supports the upper end of the dust bag I5 in a common manner, which is not shown, and which provides means by which the operator can readily propel the machine over the surface-covering undergoing cleaning.

Rotatably mounted within the nozzle 3 upon the longitudinally extending stationary shaft 20 is the rotatable agitator 2I comprising an elongated cylindrical body provided upon its surface with -rigid surface-contacting beating elements 1s formed substantially midway of its length with a pulley surface 22 which receives apower-transmitting belt 23 which is connecte-d to the pulley I3 formed upon the motor shaft I2. Obviously in the operation of the machine the agitator is rotated by the driving motor and contacts the lifted surface covering between the lips 4and 8 to dislodge the embedded foreign matter therefrom.

In the operation of the suction cleaner constructed in accordance with the present invention the suction created by the fa'n I I in the operation of the machine creates a reduced pressure in the nozzle 2, which is effective, in a more limited degree, within the nozzle 3. The surface covering positioned immediately under the nozzles is lifted by this reduced pressure into contact with the lip 1, the lip 4, and the lip 8. The lip 4 being resiliently urged downwardly by the spring 5 with a force of the magnitude of the upward force exerted by the lifted covering, is moved upwardly by the covering, permitting it to form a bowed curve between the lips I and 8 in which the pile is spread apart. Air entering the nozzle 2 under the lip 4 of necessity passes through the pile of the surface covering as the lip extends therein. The agitator 2| is driven by the power-transmitting means described and dislodges the embedded foreign matter from the surface-covering' portion which is held thereagainstby the suction within the nozzle 3. The suction in nozzle 3 need only be sufiiciently great to perform a lifting function to holdI the covering against the agitator. The nozzle 2 is unprovided with positively driven agitating means and, therefore, the higher suction which is present therein is desirable.

I claim:

1. In a suction cleaner, suction-creating means, a iirst nozzle, a second nozzle, an agitator in said second nozzle, said suction-creating means functioning to draw air from said nozzles in the operation of the cleaner, a common lip between said nozzles movably mounted, and means resiliently urging said lip into contact with the surface covering with a force of the magnitude of the force exerted by the suction-lifted surface covering which it contacts.

2. In a suction cleaner, suction-creating means, a high suction nozzle, a low suction nozzle, saidl means functioning to draw air from said nozzles in the operation of the cleaner, a movable surface-contacting Ylip between and common to said nozzles, and resilient means urging said lip into contact with a surface covering undergoing cleaning.

3. In a suction cleaner, suction-creating means, a high suction nozzle, a low suction nozzle, said means functioning to draw air from said nozzles in the operation of the cleaner, a lip common to said nozzles mounted to yield upwardly to permit a surface covering undergoing cleaning to be bowed into said nozzles, and means resistingly opposing the upward movement of said lip.

4. The construction set forth in claim 3 characterized in that a rotary agitator is positioned in said low suction nozzle.

5. The construction recited in4 claim 3 characterized in that said low suction nozzle is connected to the suction-creating means through said high suction nozzle only.

WILLIS F. HUDSON. 

